DARREN Campbell's incredible journey from the street to the stadium was made despite Britain's outdated athletics system, not because of it.

Campbell rose from obscurity to Olympian heights thanks to a mother's dream and her son's determination to be the best.

His rise from Moss Side's mean streets to international stardom is a fairytale.

But Campbell believes many more could have followed his path to glory had they received an opportunity he's now going to provide for thousands of Mancunian youngsters.

They're going to have a chance to go from the council blocks to the starting blocks.

The inner-city kids may come from deprived neighbourhoods, but Campbell hopes they will now have everything at their disposal, including top-class facilities and coaching, to become Olympic champions.

Together with his mentor and mate Linford Christie, the 1992 Olympic 100 metres gold medallist, they launched their street sprint challenge in Manchester yesterday.

It's an initiative formed out of a new three-year partnership with Manchester City Council and sports and leisurewear manufacturers Reebok.

It's all part of a conscious decision by the Sale Harriers Manchester favourite to give something back to the sport he's loved and hated in equal measure.

"Seb Coe once said top athletes never give anything back. Well, in addition to thinking up the initiative, helping to put it together and then supporting it fully, there's only so much one person can do," Campbell said.

"Linford helped me develop into the athlete I am today, and it's now up to me to help develop athletes of the future.

"When I was at school, there were kids much better than me who didn't receive the opportunity or the support to go on and do special things.

"Maybe a lot of the potential sprinters out there can't get down to a track, so we're going to take the track to them.

"If we don't support them in the right way, then they will be lost to other sports, like I nearly was to football.

Initiative

"Thanks to Manchester City Council and Reebok, the street sprint initiative is now in place to help them in the right directions.

"Without the council and Reebok it wouldn't have got this far; I'm sometimes amazed it has got this far."

The Street Sprint Challenge will involve youngsters in four age groups competing in various locations across the city from a launch date of July 4. The winners will go forward to a grand final by the steps of Manchester Town Hall on August 16.

As exclusively revealed in yesterday's M.E.N, each group winner will receive a 12-month kit sponsorship deal, a year's worth of free training on the City of Manchester Athletics Programme, plus regular support from Campbell and Christie.

Campbell said: "I just wish there had been something like this when I first started out. You've only got to look at the facilities in Manchester now to realise how far we've come.

"But while we've moved on in that respect, we haven't really moved on to produce the number of world-class sprinters we should have done.

"Linford, Mark Lewis-Francis and I are all from the same templates - but we need more. When I was growing up, I had a dream to win an Olympic gold medal. And to win one in Athens last year meant I'd achieved everything I wanted to. As a result, it's been hard to be focused and motivated for the first couple of races this season.

"I've had to decide whether I still wanted it - but I do. Now this initiative is up and running I can relax, look forward to the World Championship in August and hopefully win another gold medal."

However, Campbell has pulled out of his scheduled run at the Norwich Union International in Glasgow as well as tonight's Grand Prix meeting in Turin. His next scheduled appearance will be in Lucerne on June 14.